How To Help

CANCELLED

The rally scheduled for Friday Feb 11, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. has been cancelled. Instead of a rally, C4CA is seeking a meeting with the Premier and our MPP Kevin Flynn to thank them for their role in cancelling the proposed power plant and to discuss how we can advance our goals of a 'greener' Ontario with C4CA's priority issues being:

Implementing the Balsillie Report to address the poor air quality in Oakville-Clarkson air shed and related health impacts, such as the highest youth asthma rate in the province. In particular, we are asking the Province of Ontario to launch a Comprehensive Air Management System pilot project in this area as soon as possible.

Establishing mandated buffer zones for new power plants to better protect all Ontarians from plants being built too close to residential communities.

In our continuing efforts to stop future power plants from being built in the Oakville/Clarkson airshed, the Council meeting Monday night at 7pm is very important. We realize this is short notice. Town Council will be considering recommendations to change the implementation schedule for some components of the health protection air quality by-law. Although the by-law is not targeted at any specific plant, it will do a lot to help protect our rights for clean air. The provincial Ministry of the Environment has announced plans to investigate and potentially improve standards on air quality. We support these efforts. In the absence of appropriate provincial air quality standards, however, C4CA believes municipalities have a responsibility to take action to protect the health and safety of their communities through heath protection bylaws or other measures. As a result, C4CA supports the Town of Oakville’s Health Protection Air Quality By-law 2010-035, until an appropriate provincial wide air quality standard is put in place.

It is important that our voices be heard to support the town’s by-law. If possible, come out Monday night and let Town Council know that you support their efforts. If you cannot make the meeting, send an email to Mayor Burton at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and cc Minister Wilkinson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The mayors of Haldimand County and Oakville are asking the province to consider moving a gas-fired power plant planned for the Mississauga/Oakville border out of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Mayor Marie Trainer of Haldimand County went to Queen's Park yesterday to say that her community is more than willing to accept the proposed plant in Nanticoke.

“We have the space, we have the lines, and we want it,” said Trainer.

“Why put it near schools and subdivisions and senior homes? Bring it out to Haldimand County, where we have a three-kilometer buffer zone from residential areas around 4,500 acres of available land,” she said.

Trainer appeared before Mississauga councillors recently and received a ringing endorsement for moving the proposed plant to a community that is anxious to become its home.

The Oakville site, at 1500 Royal Windsor Dr., is less than 400 metres from the nearest residential community, a fact that has many residents concerned about the possible health risks of having a power plant that close.

The new plant would help buffer the economic fallout in 2015, after Nanticoke’s coal-fired generating station is shut down, Trainer said.
Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid says the province is open to all options.

“We take the suggestions seriously and we welcome them,” he said, without elaborating on whether it’s a proposal the province is willing to consider.

But the Ontario Power Authority says the proposal is not a cost-effective way to meet the energy needs of the southwestern GTA.

“It would require a new gas line to be built, which would cost $150 million, and additional transmission lines at $200 million,” said Kristin Jenkins, director of media relations.

"Transmission upgrades would be required in built-up areas of the GTA," said Jenkins. "There is a plan for Nanticoke conversion at the right time to increase electricity system capacity at some point in the future. It is not the right solution for current electricity needs in the southwest GTA."

A plant in Nanticoke would also be required to run for longer stretches, as opposed to the “peaker plant” proposed for Oakville, which would operate only during periods of high demand. The extra distance also means more energy lost through power lines.

Plans to build the plant in Oakville near schools, homes and a hospital have been mired in controversy since the site adjacent to the town’s Ford plant was chosen from four proposed sites in Clarkson and Oakville.

But the province says it’s a step that must be taken as it attempts to replace dirty coal-fired generating stations over the next few years. The province aims to shut down the rest of its coal-fired plants, including the huge Nanticoke station on Lake Erie, by 2014.

The mayors of Haldimand County and Oakville are asking the province to consider moving a natural-gas-fired power plant planned for Oakville out of the GTA.

Mayor Marie Trainer of Haldimand County says her community is more than willing to accept the proposed plant in Nanticoke.

“We have the space, we have the lines, and we want it,” said Trainer. “Why put it near schools and subdivisions and senior homes? Bring it out to Haldimand County, where we have a three-kilometer buffer zone from residential areas around 4,500 acres of available land,” she said at a news conference Tuesday.

The new plant would help buffer the economic fallout in 2015, after Nanticoke’s coal-fire generating station is shut down, Trainer said.

Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid says the province is open to all options. “We take the suggestions seriously and we welcome them,” he said, without elaborating on whether it’s a proposal the province is willing to consider.

But the Ontario Power Authority says the proposal is not a cost-effective way to meet the energy needs of the southwestern GTA.

“It would require a new gas line to be built, which would cost $150 million, and additional transmission lines at $200 million,” said Kristin Jenkins, director of media relations.

A plant in Nanticoke would also be required to run for longer stretches, as opposed to the “peaker plant” proposed for Oakville, which would operate only during periods of high demand. The extra distance also means more energy lost through power lines.

Plans to build the plant in Oakville near schools, homes and a hospital have been mired in controversy since the site adjacent to the town’s Ford plant was chosen from four proposed sites in Mississauga and Oakville. Similar concerns have been seen in other areas where power plants are already under construction.

But the province says it’s a step that must be taken as it attempts to replace dirty coal-fired generating stations with greener ones closer to the areas of need within the next few years. The province aims to shut down the rest of its coal-fired plants, including the huge Nanticoke station on Lake Erie, by 2014.

Mayors from both Oakville and Haldimand County convened a press conference at Queen's Park, Tuesday, to once again ask the Province to consider Nanticoke as the site for the 900-megawatt gas-fired power plant, currently proposed for Oakville.

Mayor Marie Trainer of Haldimand County said the Nanticoke site is superior to the Oakville one in a number of ways, including its size and distance from residential communities.

The Oakville site, at 1500 Royal Windsor Dr., is less than 400 metres from the nearest residential community, a fact that has many residents concerned about the possible health risks of having a power plant that close.

Increased air pollution and industrial accident top the list of fears.

"We'd like to invite the premier and the minister of the environment and energy to come out to Haldimand County and view our sites. We have two wonderful alternatives for them," said Trainer.

"Our existing OPG (coal-fired generating station) site has 4,500 acres of available land in an industrial park with a 3 kilometre buffer zone. It is slated to be closed in January of 2015 and that results in a loss of 600 local jobs, property taxes and $3 million in economic spin-offs."

Trainer said her community needs these jobs and revenues to survive and hopes the government will help by retrofitting the coal-fired power plant into a gas-fired power plant.

Trainer said if this site was not to the premier's liking, a second 200-acre site is available in Nanticoke.

This site, which she said has been approved in principle for gas-fired power plant use by Haldimand council, is home to a power competitor of the coal-fired generation station, which has also expressed an interest building a gas-fired power plant.

Trainer said the infrastructure, including the transmission lines, is already in place and needs only to be converted over to the new purpose of delivering gas-fired energy.

"We have it all," she said. "We have the space, we have the wires and we want it."

The exact opposite is true of Oakville said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, who pointed out that under the province's laws a 10-megawatt wind turbine would not be allowed at the 13-acre Oakville site because of the close proximity of homes and schools.

Burton said he is struggling to understand how a 900-megawatt power plant can be okay for the area when a small wind turbine is not.

"I think everybody can see there is something wrong with this," he said. "It's terrific that Mayor Trainer and her council and her community have come forward with two viable alternatives for the power plant."

The situation, however, is not that simple, says the Ontario Power Authority (OPA).

"It would require a new gas line to be built (at a cost of) $150 million - and additional transmission lines - (to be built at a cost of) $200 million - adding $350 million to the capital costs of the project."

Jenkins said a power plant located in Nanticoke would run longer and produce less electricity because it would be so far away from the power's final destination. This translates into higher operational costs and more emissions.

"New transmission lines would be required not just to bring electricity from Nanticoke, but also transmission upgrades would be required in built up areas of the GTA," said Jenkins. "There is a plan for Nanticoke conversion at the right time to increase electricity system capacity at some point in the future. It is not the right solution for current electricity needs in the southwest GTA."

Burton said he has gotten the impression the government has already made its mind up as to where it wants to put the plant, but continues to be optimistic the Province can be made aware of the 'mistake they are making.'

Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid neither condemned nor supported the Nanticoke proposition, stating only that the provincial government would listen.

"We're always respectful of municipal leaders whenever they bring us suggestions or ideas. I commend the mayors for bringing forward a constructive suggestion and Mayor Trainer, in particular, for volunteering her community for energy generation use, which is something that is always welcome from our perspective," he said.

"We will continue to work closely with (Oakville MPP) Kevin Flynn who has done a very effective job of ensuring that his community's voice is heard at Queen's Park. We recognize there are some challenges at the moment with the regard to the proponent that we are contracted with for that particular gas plant and as a result we will remain in a listening mode for the foreseeable future."

Excerpt: "As a former banker I have no direct expertise in the electrical sector. I was simply curious as to why my electricity bill in Ontario went up when my consumption went down. What I found as I researched is a bewildering story of a province whose electrical sector is in trouble. Ontario is a high-price energy province and, under current policy, it is poised for a further escalation in prices. In short, Ontario is pricing itself out of the market and will not have the ability to attract any manufacturers or service sector companies that require significant energy in their daily processing."

Excerpt: "TransCanada’s 683-megawatt gas-fired power plant in Halton Hills recently completed the same operation, without incident, that led to an explosion at a power plant in Middletown, Connecticut."

C4CA Comment: “It’s pathetic logic. People make mistakes and just because someone does something right once doesn’t mean someone else won’t do it wrong the next time and it’s not necessarily just that one particular process where they use nitrogen versus the other. There are all sorts of other things that can happen that can cause an explosion. Ask TransCanada how many pipeline explosions they’ve had in the last three years. There have been five that I’m aware of.” -Doug Mackenzie, President of C4CA

"Change begins with a Conversation” and we hope to have many conversations with visitors who want to learn more about the potential impact and alternatives to the proposed Oakville Generating Station.. Come by and visit us or volunteer some time to educate others at the Eco Festival on Saturday and Sunday April 17 and 18th at the Glen Abbey Rec Centre at Third line and Upper Middle.

This environmental fair has something for everyone who cares about the environment, their health and their community. It’s an environmental EXTRAVAGANZA with more than 9 sponsors and 70 exhibitors on the green marketplace floor, a silent auction, a Kids Eco Fun Area and educational workshops including a C4CA presentation about the proposed Oakville Generating Station starting at approximately 2 pm on Saturday.

Citizens for Clean Air (C4CA) is holding an information session Wednesday, April 14 beginning at 7 p.m. at John Knox Christian School Gym, 2232 Sheridan Garden Drive, Oakville

There’ll be an update on C4CA activities and progress, an opportunity to ask questions and information about steps you can take to help stop a gas-fired power plant from being built near homes and schools.

The information session is an ideal way to introduce your friends and neighbours to C4CA and engage their interest – and their help! – in our campaign.

Excerpt: "Another day, another large industrial accident, resulting in death and destruction. This time it is the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia, resulting from a methane explosion. At time of writing, 25 are believed to have been killed."

“The Oakville one is a total no-brainer to me, this proposed power plant is close to a school, close to a neighbourhood, I’m talking metres here, not miles, I mean really close, and it’s an area with a heavily strained air quality already. I say in that case ‘find somewhere else, safety first, not close to a school, not close to a residential neighbourhood.”- John Tory

Click here to listen to his podcast via ITunes. Click on the podcast that was released on 4/6/10.

Re:Is Oakville gas power plant too close to its neighbours, Opinion April 5

Doug McKenzie is right to question the McGuinty government's plan to build a gas plant in an already over-polluted residential area. Before spending $1 billion on a polluting plant that will only produce power on a few peak demand days, the province should do everything possible to save costs through conservation and energy efficiency.

Excerpt: "Doug MacKenzie's piece should be a wake-up call for all of us. Having a provincial agency, the Ontario Power Authority, responsible for ensuring power needs are met but with no regard for citizens' health and safety, is not only absurd but totally irresponsible."

Below is a video of an interview with Premier McGuinty on CHCH television about the Oakville power plant.

The highlights are as follows:

Premier: "We have decided, working with our power partners, that we need to put new generation in that particular community, we've gone with the gas fired plant... it's the latest technology... and you know, I think the people of Oakville are entitled to continue to express their concerns. "

Reporter: "So it's going to happen no matter what?"

Premier: "Well, you know, we just believe that after all the work that we have done that this is the best thing that we can do."

Please view the video and draw your own conclusions. In my opinion, the Premier's statements appear to show a total disregard for the process his government follows for making investment decisions of this magnitude and impact.

• The environmental review currently underway has not been finalized. While we strongly believe that a company who has been awarded a $1.2 billion contract should not be conducting their own self assessment, the process needs to be completed and the MOE needs to review the output and make their decisions.

• In 2009, the Premier announced a one person Air Quality Task Force to address "how to improve local air quality in the Clarkson-Oakville Airshed...”. The final report is to be completed by the end of June 2010.

• The Town of Oakville currently has a bylaw that bans the construction or expansion of power plants with a capacity greater than 10-megawatts pending the completion of a detailed study outlining where such power plants can best be accommodated. This work has not been completed.

• The Oakville Fire department works with related emergency service agencies to make sure there are immediate and prepared responses for situations that constitute danger of major proportion. The Oakville Fire Chief is waiting for more information from TransCanada. This work has not been completed.

We need your help. Please send an email, twitter, facebook entry, whatever medium you choose to the Premier and cc your local MPP. (The list is on www.C4CA.org). Our experience is that sending form letters are not effective. So, please write your own letter. We are concerned that there is not an OPEN and TRANSPARENT PROCESS and the Premier is not getting all the FACTS. Please pass this along to your friends, especially those outside the Oakville/Mississauga area and encourage them to do the same.

This column gives us the opening to fire in letters to the editor in support of Flynn's Bill making our key points about safety, proximity and the fact that this site wasn't even TransCanada's first choice. This plus a line saying something like it's not too late for the Premier to change his mind and take a sober second look, find a better location, would make an ideal letter to the editor. The shorter and pithier the better the chance it will be printed. Include a phone number as the paper will contact you for permission to print your letter (even though you submit it, they seek verification you are the author).

If you have a few minutes this weekend, please fire off a brief letter to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ask a friend or neighbour to do so.

- It’s too close. The nearest office building is less than 65 metres away.
- This wasn't even TransCanada's first choice for a location. So why was it chosen?
- There isn’t enough space. The Oakville location is less than 15 acres or 1/10th the size of the Middletown site, yet the proposed OGS plant is 50% larger. The impact of an accidental explosion or train derailment would be devastating.
-It sets a bad precedent. No other plant has this kind of density within one kilometre. Existing plants all have buffer zones of 1.25 km (Toronto – Portlands Energy Centre) or greater.
- It’s bad for our children’s health. A gas plant is a fossil fuel burning plant that will emit thousands of tons of toxins into a region with the highest youth asthma rates in the province.
- The air shed is already over-polluted. Federal and provincial environment studies show that the community's air is already dangerously over polluted.
- It affects the whole community. Within less than 3 km are five senior citizens retirement homes, eight day care and early learning centres, Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and the Town Hall.
-There is no rush to proceed. Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) forecasts say there is ample existing power capacity for the next several years.
- Mr. Premier, there is widespread opposition to this plant from all levels of government and organizations across the region. You still have time to do the right thing.

Excerpt: "In light of the derailment of a CN train in Pickering yesterday, Mayor Burton renewed his call for further assessment of the possibility of accidents resulting from the proposed TransCanada power plant being constructed seven metres from a major rail corridor used by CN and GO Transit."

Excerpt: "The town will defend its interim control by-law against TransCanada Energy's latest court action, which seeks an order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice enabling TransCanada to move forward with its plans to build a 900 megawatt power plant at 1500 Royal Windsor Drive, despite the by-law's prohibitions."

Excerpt: "Fresh legal action from TransCanada failed to keep Town councillors from voting to extend an interim control bylaw, which is threatening to hold up construction of the 900-megawatt gas-fired power plant proposed for the Ford-owned lands of 1500 Royal Windsor Dr."

Excerpt: "Oakville Council approved the extension of the town's interim control by-law prohibiting power generation facilities with a generating capacity greater than or equal to 10 megawatts from being built in Oakville." Click here to read the rest of the news release.

Agenda Item 6Excerpt: "That By-law 2010-065, a by-law to extend Interim Control By-law 2009‑065 respecting the location of power generating facilities in Oakville be passed." The bylaw was extended to March 29, 2011. Click here to read more.

Excerpt: "The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) doesn’t understand why so many of us are disappointed with the way it conducted its process to select TransCanada’s site in Oakville for the southwest GTA power plant." Click here to read more.

Excerpt: "Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn introduced a private members bill called the Separation Distances for Natural Gas Power Plants Act, 2010 into the Ontario Legislature today that is designed to protect the health and safety of Ontario residents." Click here to read more.

Excerpt: ""Flynn will introduce his Private Members' Bill next week that proposes a significant setback distance for natural gas power plants that have not received all municipal, provincial or federal permits." Click here to read the news release.

Media Coverage

03/25/10: InsideHalton "MPP Flynn fights for separation"

Excerpt: "Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn introduced a private member’s bill, called the Separation Distances for Natural Gas Power Plants Act, 2010, into the Ontario Legislature today that is designed to protect the health and safety of Ontario residents." Click here to read the entire article.

Excerpt: "Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn has introduced a private member’s bill that, if passed, will make it impossible for TransCanada to build a 900- megawatt gas-fired power plant on the Ford-owned lands of 1500 Royal Windsor Dr." Click here to read more.

"It honestly felt like my whole house had exploded," said Daniela Esposito, who lives just more than a mile from the plant with her husband and young child. "It was very loud, and things were falling off the shelves. It was one of the scariest things I've experienced."

"We're taking the building apart piece by piece," Mr. Santostefano said, adding that he lived about five miles from the site and felt the explosion's impact. "We're waiting to see if there are more fatalities." He said potential survivors would be "buried in rubble."

William Reiner, a supervisory special agent in the FBI's New Haven, Conn., office, who said he felt the force of the blast while driving about 20 miles away from the plant site.

These next two comments are very insightful as there seems to be a general undertone to the article that it is fortunate that there was nothing close by:

The explosion was confined to one building in an area known as the "power block," he said.The closest residences are a mile away.

At 11:25 a.m., the explosion ripped through the Kleen Energy Systems LLC natural-gas power plant being built here in a sparse industrial area along the bank of the Connecticut River.

Click on the links below to read more stories about the power plant explosion in Middletown

The Weather Network Oakville Generating Station Series The Weather Network has produced a five part series on the Oakville Generating Station which will run Monday March 8th until Friday March 12th. A new story will run everyday. Please tune in to Weather News every :12 and :42 past the hour. If you miss any of the stories, they will appear the following week (March 15th) on their official website - www.theweathernetwork.com.

Excerpt: "According to the Province’s National Pollution Release Inventory (NPRI), 14 Oakville industries would be considered major emitters under the Town’s new Health Protection Air Quality Bylaw." Click here to read more.

680 News: "Power plant plans in Oakville put on hold"Excerpt: "Plans to build a 900-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant on the edge of Oakville has been put on hold." Click here to read the entire article.

Globe and Mail: "Oakville temporarily blocks building of gas-fired power plant"Excerpt: "Oakville has temporarily blocked TransCanada Energy's plan to build a 900-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant next to the Ford car plant on the edge of the town." Click here to read more.

Excerpt: ""Flynn will introduce his Private Members' Bill next week that proposes a significant setback distance for natural gas power plants that have not received all municipal, provincial or federal permits." Click here to read the news release.

03/23/10: Statement from MPP Kevin Flynn "Introduction of Private Members Bill"Excerpt: "Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn introduced a private members bill called the Separation Distances for Natural Gas Power Plants Act, 2010 into the Ontario Legislature today that is designed to protect the health and safety of Ontario residents." Click here to read more.

In the January 27th Toronto Star editorial entitled "Power Plant Perspective," the editors demonstrated a naive perspective of the TransCanada power plant issue. The Toronto Star's perspective is: "modern gas powered stations produce few emissions"....and why would residents be concerned when the power plants will " be operating less than 10 per cent of the time." Click here to read that article.

Click here read various letters that concerned citizens of the Oakville-Clarkson Airshed have written to the editor of the Toronto Star in response to the "Power Plant Perspective" editorial.

01/11/2010: The Wall Street Journal- "Gas Pains: The Problems with a Gas-Fired Bridge to Clean Energy":

Natural gas is often seen as the “bridge fuel” to a clean-energy future—it’s abundant, reliable, and has about half the emissions of coal. Today, a couple of reminders of just how tricky it can be to really make that gas-powered energy revolution a reality. Click hereto read more...

TransCanada Energy and Ford Motor Co. of Canada are seeking leave to appeal the Dec. 4, 2009 OMB Decision in the matter of Case PL090414 which upheld Oakville's Interim Control By-law 2009-065 and gave support to municipal rights in the matter of location of power plants. Click here to read more...

12/22/2009: "New By-law to Control Major Emissions of Fine PM Goes to Public Review": A proposed by-law to assess and control major emissions of fine particulate matter (fine PM) in Oakville was released for public review and comment by Oakville Town Council at today's special meeting. Click here to read more.

12/15/2009: "Town Requests New Provincial Regulation for Airborne Fine Particulate Matter":
The Corporation of the Town of Oakville has filed an application with the Ontario government under the Environmental Bill of Rights asking the government to institute a new regulation under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) - or a new air pollution act if need be - that effectively regulates the emissions of airborne fine particulate matter (fine PM) to protect communities from adverse health effects. Click here to read more...

It just doesn’t make sense. This was the new campaign slogan unveiled by Citizens for Clean Air (C4CA), Wednesday night, as they prepared to step up their fight against a 900- megawatt gas-fired power plant proposed for the Ford-owned lands of 1500 Royal Windsor Dr.... Click here to read more

(West side of Ford Drive - Just North of Royal Windsor and Railroad Tracks)

STOP POWER PLANTS

NEAR HOMES AND SCHOOLS!

The Ontario Government has awarded a contract to TransCanada Energy to build a 900MW natural gas-fired power plant within a heavily populated area of Oakville. The plant would be extraordinarily close to homes and schools.

Approximately eleven thousand homes and sixteen schools on the North and South side of the QEW would be less than 3kms from the plant.

Many people have voiced their concerns, including local MPP Kevin Flynn, who says that the plant’s location “defies logic”.

Pollution from the proposed plant would compound the problems of our already over polluted air-shed. The plant would also create noise, vibration, fog, icing and other issues.

According to TransCanada’s press releases it is moving rapidly to start construction … BUT

IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU

TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

MAKE YOUR CONTINUED OPPOSITION

TO THIS PLANT KNOWN!

We invite you to attend this Information Night to meet the C4CA Steering Committee and its Sub-Committees and learn more about the power plant, plans to show opposition to this plant, and most importantly how you can help as a concerned citizen.

CITIZENS FOR CLEAN AIR (C4CA) is a coalition of concerned citizens and interested parties that is committed to raising public awareness of the many issues arising from the proposed Oakville power plant. Please join us on December 9.

11/27/2009: Citizens for Clean Air (C4CA): Ad in Oakville Beaver: Citizens for Clean Air (C4CA) is compelled to respond to the Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) November 20 open letter to Oakville residents and also the recent door to door flyer distributed by TransCanada across Oakville. Click here to read more